Diffusion-determined Assembly of All-climate Supercapacitors via Bioinspired Aligned Gels

Inspired by the naturally occurring anti-freeze mechanisms of biological organisms, herein we introduce an ionic compound (LiTFSI) into zwitterionic polymer networks to enhance the anti-freezing performance of gels. The ionic diffusion of the high viscosity LiTFSI aqueous solution within aligned gel endows the reswollen polymer electrolyte with excellent freeze-tolerance and high ion conductivity. Interestingly, ionic permeation can act as a binder to promote tight adhesion between the aligned gel electrolyte and a porous carbon electrode. The resulting well-designed supercapacitors are superior to traditional PVA gel devices with respect to their potential window (2.5 V) and energy density (52.3 Wh kg-1). Furthermore, the devices are facilely assembled, possess a broad range of working temperatures (-54 to 100 °C), and exhibit remarkable flexibility under consecutive bending conditions. Ultimately, this study provides new insight and motivation for the development of robust supercapacitors suitable for complex and harsh environments.